United States Environment Agency Let Bayer Pick Regulations for Destructive Weedkiller

Internal EPA documents have raised troubling questions about the influence pesticide manufacturers may have over the regulation of their own products. According to the documents, EPA officials presented Bayer with a range of possible restrictions intended to reduce damage caused by the company’s dicamba weedkiller and asked which measures it preferred. The agency’s subsequent proposed regulations reportedly reflected several of Bayer’s choices.

Dicamba has become highly controversial because it can drift away from fields where it is sprayed and damage neighboring crops, trees, and other vegetation. Research has also raised concerns about possible human health effects associated with exposure. The EPA disputes suggestions that Bayer was allowed to dictate its regulations, saying that consultation with pesticide manufacturers is a normal part of the regulatory process. Nevertheless, the newly released documents inevitably raise questions about whether such consultation gives chemical companies excessive influence over decisions intended to protect the public and the environment.

Effective regulation requires regulators to maintain genuine independence from the industries they oversee. Companies obviously possess technical knowledge about their products, but protecting human health and the environment must take precedence over commercial interests. When manufacturers are invited to help choose restrictions governing chemicals from which they profit, public confidence in the regulatory system risks being undermined. Decisions concerning potentially hazardous pesticides should ultimately be driven by independent scientific evidence and the precautionary principle.

To read about research showing that nearly 20 percent of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables that Americans eat contain concerning levels of pesticides, see this news story on our website.